Some people use the word “crazy” to describe someone who suffers from a mental illness.
This is ignorance. It is also called stigma.
People who suffer from depression, bipolar, schizophrenia and other mental health conditions have a treatable medical illness.
In this sense they are no different than someone who has heart disease, diabetes and or cancer.
There is no shame in suffering from a mental illness.
Having a mental illness does not make one “crazy!”
What makes people feel “crazy” and do “crazy” things is lack of acceptance, compassion, and love.
I’ve had my share of “craziness.”
For the longest time I felt nothing but “crazy” and I’m a mental health nurse.
Growing up in a war-torn country was ‘crazy”.
WAR is the ultimate “crazy”!
Growing up in a home where I was physically and verbally abused made me feel truly “crazy”.
Those of you who grow up in chaotic and dysfunctional environments can appreciate what I’m talking about.
Running away from home when I was 16 made me feel lost, alone, and absolutely “crazy”.
Looking for love in all the wrong places made me feel completely out of control and “crazy”.
Not knowing who I truly was made me feel fake and ”crazy”.
Not being able to be my true self made me feel invisible and “crazy”.
People imagine living in a refugee camp must’ve been “crazy”.
I would disagree.
Refugee camp was a walk in the part compared to the chaos and dysfunction I grew up around.
Refugee camp was a walk in the part compared to the “craziness” that followed after reeling in from the hell I called my childhood.
For so many years the only thing I had was HOPE.
Hope that things could be better.
The journey has taken the better half of my life.
Mental illness – depression - was the result of the “crazy” world I was born in to.
Treating my depression was the easy part.
Understanding and processing all the “craziness” and overcoming the effects of it is what I call the journey of hope.
This is the journey of healing!
Making sense of all the “craziness”.
Realizing it was not your fault.
Accepting what happened.
Mourning the losses.
Forgiving those who betrayed your trust.
Realizing they too felt “crazy” and that was why they acted so ”crazy”.
Finding inner peace, and happiness.
Knowing you are whole.
Knowing you are loved.
Knowing you can heal.
Knowing you are o.k.
Knowing you can change and break the cycle.
Being comfortable in your own skin.
Speaking up.
Loving.
Learning.
Growing.
Becoming all that you were meant to become.
This is healing.
Please leave me your questions and comments below. If you found this article helpful please share it on Facebook and Twitter.
Thank you for visiting with me today.
Peace, Love & Gratitude,
Neseret
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Neseret,
Very good column and I must say I appreciate the subject, keep up the good work, girl. Be in touch again soon.
Hi Michael,
Thanks:-)
Thanks for stopping by!
Blessings and Peace,
Neseret
Hi Neseret, your journey towards healing speaks volume, especially the parts on “knowing”. It is something that I would consciously act towards. One thing that I’m trying to work towards is to accept the differences of others even if they don’t accept yours.
wing recently posted..AYWM: How my value empowers my life
Hi Wing,
Thank you. It has taken me a lot of years to get to the part of “knowing”. It is true the longest journey is the journey within. I am learning to operate in my life from that part of knowing. It is a beautiful place to be.
When you know who you are and know how powerful you are life is so much more enjoyable. This knowing is available to all of us. It is a matter of uncovering it. It is a matter of removing the layers that clouds it.
We all have that knowing. It is our gift and our birthright.
Peace, Love & Gratitude,
Neseret
Hi Neseret,
I agree with what you are saying here. People so easily throw around the word crazy when they really don’t know what crazy is.
Someone who has mental illness is not broken or defective and they can easily learn the skills they need to help manage their mind and body.
Justin Mazza recently posted..The Secret to Getting What You Want
Hi Justin,
Thank you for stopping by and visiting here.
You are absolutely right. People who suffer from mental illness can lead productive and meaningful life through proper treatment. Proper treatment includes a holistic approach which takes in to consideration all aspects of the individual’s life.
Learning to manage stress, building better coping skills and healthy lifestyle practises are things all of us need to learn.
Peace, Love & Gratitude,
{ 1 trackback }